For the past 20 months, as part of our 150th commemoration of the Civil War, the Natchez National Historical Park has been researching the Civil War histories of Natchez houses open for Pilgrimage tours in an attempt to provide accurate information for homeowners to share with tourists.

I read with great interest your recent story about one homeowner who regaled a captive audience with tales of General Grant riding his horse through the house on Christmas Eve.

While I am sure the group was mesmerized, the truth of the matter is that Grant was spending the 1863 holiday season in Nashville, not Natchez.

Family tales and local legends may make interesting fodder to feed gullible tourists, but homeowners need to remember that today’s savvy traveler often has a fact-checking device in their pocket.

There are rich Civil War stories to be told in Natchez.

Perhaps we should focus on enlightening our visitors with the facts rather than entertaining them with fiction.

 

Jefferson Mansell

Historian, Natchez National Historical Park